


Hypothetical

by cuttothequickk



Series: All Things Bright and Beautiful [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: But she's not really important in this idk, Developing Relationship, Everyone is drunk except Tsukishima, Implied Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Innuendo, Kageyama and Hinata can't get their shit together, M/M, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke are Bros, Party Games, Pining, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Summer Vacation, Surprisingly Responsible Drinking, Underage Drinking, and Yachi technically, mfk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 21:04:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13621644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuttothequickk/pseuds/cuttothequickk
Summary: It might have happened like this.A spiritual predecessor to "Scavengers".





	Hypothetical

“The ball, the net, and the referee.”

 

“What the _actual fuck,_ Ryuu?” Nishinoya asks, laughing hysterically and clutching at his stomach while he tries not to spill the drink in his hand. “You’re supposed to say _people._ I _know_ you know how this game works!”

 

“Well, we ran out of people! Unless we’re going to start using people who are _here!_ ”

 

Nishinoya leaps to his feet. “The third years!”

 

“Um, _we’re_ the third years now,” Ennoshita deadpans, looking up at Nishinoya with a half-amused, half-annoyed look. Nishinoya yells something so loud it’s unintelligible, and suddenly Tanaka is yelling at Ennoshita and Hinata has no idea what’s going on.

 

The conversation only devolves from there.

 

Hinata giggles into his cup and leans against Yamaguchi, his head swimming with alcohol and happiness. Yamaguchi wraps an arm around him and then leans into Tsukishima, who grumbles from Yamaguchi’s other side and sips at a cup that only contains water because Tsukishima is no fun and hates them all.

 

Although, Hinata thinks, he isn’t shifting away as Yamaguchi leans over until he’s practically lying in Tsukishima’s lap. If anything, the blond looks vaguely pleased. So. Maybe he doesn’t hate them _all._

 

Hinata looks away before Tsukishima can catch him looking.

 

“Yamaguchi-kun,” Hinata mumbles, fighting the urge to let his eyes drift shut. He’s sleepy but not tired, like the world has turned into a delirious dream-world. It’s the first time Hinata has ever been drunk, and he thinks he really likes it. “The third years,” he says. “Suga, Daichi-san, and Asahi-san.”

 

Yamaguchi giggles and situates himself more comfortably against Tsukishima, who glares down at Hinata. Hinata shifts and wriggles around a little so that he’s more comfortable in Yamaguchi’s lap. It’s like they’re a little chain of comfy-ness, and Hinata says so, and Tsukishima snorts into his water and goes back to glaring judgment at everyone.

 

Yamaguchi hums in acknowledgment of Hinata’s question, and then the hum turns into an actual tune and Hinata realizes that Yamaguchi is drunk, too. Hinata tilts his head to look up to where Yamaguchi’s head is cushioned in the cradle of Tsukishima’s thighs and sees that his eyes are closed, a soft smile painted across his freckled cheeks. He looks so content, and it makes Hinata’s heart thud with gratitude to the entire universe, because recently Yamaguchi has seemed a little bit sad, and it’s good to see him happy.

 

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima says, flicking at Yamaguchi’s forehead. “The third years.”

 

At least Tsukishima is playing, even if he isn’t drinking.

 

Yamaguchi stops humming. Then starts again. Then stops. “Okay, this is hard. I guess…marry Suga. We all know we’d have to marry Suga.”

 

Hinata nods and sits up a little to take another sip of his drink. “Yeah, Suga-san is the best,” he says. “The right answer, really.”

 

“But I can’t kill either of the other two,” Yamaguchi laments. He too sits up just enough to drink some more, and then he settles back into Tsukishima. “Tsukki, what would you do?”

 

Tsukishima looks down at Yamaguchi, an eyebrow raised. “No.”

 

Yamaguchi pushes himself up, dislodging Hinata from his lap so that he can lean over on his knees and get right up in Tsukishima’s face.

 

“Come on, Tsukki!”

 

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

 

Yamaguchi grins, wide and blinding. “Sorry, Tsukki.”

 

Hinata straightens to his knees to lay himself all along the line of Yamaguchi’s spine, his chin hooking over Yamaguchi’s shoulder from behind. Tsukishima glares at him.

 

“Come on, Tsukishima! You haven’t actually answered a single one beyond saying who you’d kill!”

 

Tsukishima looks disgusted. “This game is a waste of time.”

 

“Come on, Tsukishima,” Tanaka says. Nishinoya hums agreement, both of them stopping whatever they were doing to turn and focus on Tsukishima.

 

Tsukishima is wearing the blankest expression Hinata has seen in his life, possibly ever.

 

“Yeah, come on, Tsukishima. We all want to know who you’re secretly sexually attracted to,” Ennoshita calls from his position across the circle.

 

Tsukishima sips his water and then stares at everyone, unblinking and unashamed. “I’m sexually attracted to music,” he says after a beat of silence in which everyone _else_ is uncomfortable even if Tsukishima looks only haughty and unaffected.

 

“You mean musicians?” Hinata asks, giggling.

 

Tsukishima levels him with another blank stare. “No.”

 

Everyone stares at him, bursts out laughing, and goes back to what they were doing.

 

“So seriously, Yamaguchi-kun! You haven’t actually answered! The third years!” Hinata chirps.

 

Yamaguchi goes pensive again and lies back down into Tsukishima’s lap. Hinata happily resettles across Yamaguchi’s thighs.

 

 “Okay, so, marry Suga, like I said,” Yamaguchi murmurs, reaching up above him to steal Tsukishima’s glasses and perching them across his own nose. Hinata is surprised when Tsukishima doesn’t protest. “Oh…god, maybe fuck Daichi-san? Because I think it would be mean to Asahi-san to just fuck him and leave,” Yamaguchi says.

 

“Hey, don’t kill Asahi-san!” Nishinoya has apparently been listening in, and he whirls away from Tanaka to point a finger at Yamaguchi. “Take it back. Take it back right now.”

 

“Yeah, Yamaguchi,” Tanaka adds. “You think fucking Asahi-san and leaving would be mean, so your plan is to just _kill_ him?”

 

Yamaguchi flings his arms up over his face and lets out a loud noise of distress. “Okay! Okay! I guess I have to marry him then, though!”

 

Nishinoya lets out a shout. “No! You can’t marry Asahi-san!”

 

Everyone turns to look at Nishinoya. Nishinoya goes silent very quickly.

 

Tanaka’s face lights up in a grin, and he grabs his best friend’s shoulders. “Why not, Yuu? Why can’t darling Tadashi marry Asahi-san?”

 

“I—no—it’s just—” Nishinoya is spluttering.

 

Shockingly, it is Tsukishima who saves him. “He’s right,” the blond says, looking bored. “You can’t marry Asahi-san.” Tsukishima turns to glare at Yamaguchi, who gulps.

 

 “I’m sorry,” Yamaguchi bemoans, “I’m sorry! I can’t choose! This one’s too hard!”

 

“I’m sure _something_ is hard, all right,” Tanaka mutters to Nishinoya, who cracks up and eyes the little chain of cuddling on the floor with a smirk.

 

“I’m sure he’s also not too happy about having a third wheel tacked on to the little love mobile,” Nishinoya says.

 

“What are you talking about?” Yamaguchi asks, his hands no longer covering his face. Tsukishima is honest-to-god blushing, and he snatches his glasses back from Yamaguchi with a jerky motion that makes Hinata blink a couple times at how sudden it is.

 

Hinata giggles and sits up, some response on the tip of his tongue until suddenly it’s gone, whisked away into the daze of alcohol and contentedness.

 

Left without anything to contribute to the conversation, Hinata lets his eyes wander around the circle. Tanaka and Nishinoya are both standing up, probably because they’re too energetic to sit on the floor like everyone else, and they’re yelling at each other about something and laughing so hard Nishinoya can hardly stand. Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita are leaning against the wall holding a conversation of their own. Yachi is grinning and talking with them; she’s drinking water like Tsukishima, because being the only girl, she’s not actually going to sleep over and she can’t exactly go home drunk. Yamaguchi is sitting up now, but he’s still pressed all along Tsukishima’s side, his face hidden in Tsukishima’s throat as the two exchange whispers that make Yamaguchi giggle and bring a little tint of red to Tsukishima’s ears, the only reaction even _Yamaguchi_ can pull from the blond nowadays. Tsukishima has been so much more serious lately, which is really saying something, and Hinata wonders if it has something to do with Yamaguchi’s recent spacey-ness and vague despondency.

 

And then there is Kageyama.

 

He’s sitting next to Hinata but he’s a few feet away, his back against Tanaka’s bed as he sips his drink and watches the room. The slight reddening of his cheeks is the only evidence that he’s been drinking. Hinata turns himself so he’s facing Kageyama directly and smiles, feeling a rush of affection at the sight of the dark hair lying smooth against pale skin, the sharp angles of Kageyama’s collarbones, the concave of his chest as the line of him turns to long legs stretched languid against the floor.

 

“Hey,” Hinata says, causing Kageyama to start a little and jerk his head up to look at him, his pupils dark and his eyes a little glazed from the alcohol.

 

“Hey,” Kageyama says, his gazed fixed on Hinata. Hinata tenses against the shudder that wants to run through him at the attention. It’s always like this, the tug beneath his skin to be studied by Kageyama, to be observed and to be appreciated. No one looks at Hinata the way Kageyama does.

 

“How drunk are you?” Hinata asks, smiling. His voice is quiet, his usual energy burning a slow simmer under his skin. He feels relaxed with the vodka and the weight of Kageyama’s gaze resting soft upon him, and he scoots closer as Kageyama sits up straighter and turns to face Hinata.

 

“Some,” Kageyama says, his brow furrowing as he looks down at himself like he’s trying to judge his level of intoxication by like sight of his limbs or something. Hinata giggles.

 

“You’re ‘some’ drunk?”

 

Kageyama scowls. “Dumbass, how am I supposed to know how drunk I am? I’ve never been drunk before,” he bites out, and then blushes like he’s embarrassed to have admitted it.

 

Hinata hums and sways back and forth a little in his cross-legged pose, eyes closed as the room spins. “Me neither,” he says. “It’s kind of fun.”

 

When he opens his eyes, Kageyama is staring at him again. “You’re drunk.”

 

Hinata nods. “It feels so good. Maybe I should drink more,” he says, leaning forward into Kageyama’s space a little. Kageyama folds a leg in towards himself to accommodate Hinata’s change in position, the motion so smooth it’s like Kageyama isn’t aware he’s doing it. “ _I_ feel so good,” Hinata adds, letting his eyelashes flutter a little. He just feels so sleepy, but in a good, sort of hazy way.

 

When he opens his eyes, Kageyama has leaned closer to him, and his eyes are intense and so, so dark. They’re sitting in the corner where the bed meets the wall and it’s like they’re in their own little world, the noise of laughter and conversation behind them just a backdrop to the pounding of Hinata’s heart as he lets half-lidded eyes rove over the shape of Kageyama’s strong shoulders, the jut of a hipbone beneath thin white cotton. Hinata licks his lips and sees Kageyama track the motion. There’s an electric current vibrating Hinata out of his skin, and he feels _so good,_ and Kageyama is staring at him like—like—

 

“ _FUCK!_ ”

 

There’s a crash from behind him, and Hinata whirls around to see Nishinoya and Tanaka sprawled in a heap on the floor, Tsukishima whispering something in Yamaguchi’s ear to make Yamaguchi giggle.

 

“Wow,” Ennoshita deadpans. “You guys are clearly fit to be K-Pop dancers, yeah.”

 

“Don’t mind, don’t mind!” Tanaka yells, shoving Nishinoya off of him as they both push themselves up to their feet. “From the top?”

 

Nishinoya nods. “Start the track!” He points at Narita, who shrugs and presses play. “And turn it up!” Nishinoya commands. Narita turns the knob and the room fills with the sound of Korean rap peppered with the occasional phrase in English, both of which are languages Hinata has no hope of understanding. He tunes it out and turns back to Kageyama.

 

But Kageyama is standing, his feet steady enough even if he sways a little as he steps over Hinata’s legs and around the little snuggle pile that is a drunk Yamaguchi interacting with a sober Tsukishima. Kageyama is wearing an expression that says he’s angry or maybe disappointed, which is a weird emotion to be having right now, so Hinata frowns and tries to pull himself alert.

 

“Kageyama,” Hinata says, but Kageyama is already leaving the room, and if he hears Hinata, he gives no indication.

 

Hinata shrugs and turns to make eye contact with Tsukishima, who has an arm wrapped tight around Yamaguchi. Hinata raises an eyebrow, and Tsukishima glares.

 

“He’ll fall over if I let go,” Tsukishima justifies. Hinata smirks. Yamaguchi is rambling away and gesturing with the arm that’s not trapped between his body and Tsukishima’s, his legs now thrown across Tsukishima’s lap and his head pillowed on Tsukishima’s shoulder. Hinata’s heart feels like it might explode with the cuteness.

 

“Don’t let him go, then,” Hinata says. Tsukishima’s eyes flash like Hinata his just said something important, but Hinata is too drunk to pursue it. He takes another swallow, the last swallow in his cup, and turns to start up a conversation with Yachi.

 

It only takes about ten more minutes before Tsukishima is pulling a sleepy Yamaguchi to his feet and announcing their intention to head back to Tsukishima’s so Yamaguchi can sober up and go to sleep (“Use protection!” Tanaka shouts as they leave. Yamaguchi is too drunk to hear it, and Tsukishima of course does not react). Yachi also has to head off, and Ennoshita and Narita and Kinoshita decide to run to Lawson for some snacks, which leaves Hinata alone with Tanaka and Nishinoya, who are waxing philosophical about the merits of Shimizu’s boobs and Asahi’s dick, respectively.

 

Not respect _fully._

 

Hinata pushes himself to his feet and figures he would rather track down a possibly grumpy Kageyama than get roped into a conversation about how hot Nishinoya thinks everyone is all the time, because everyone already _knows_ that Nishinoya finds everyone hot all the time regardless of gender and Hinata would rather sit in potentially awkward silence with Kageyama than have a discussion about the perks of being an “equal opportunity lover”, as Nishinoya always calls it. It’s quiet once Hinata is out the door, and he wanders down the stairs and towards the kitchen, glad that Tanaka’s parents are out of town and that Saeko-san is with Tsukishima’s older brother for the weekend.

 

Even if she _had_ been the one to get the vodka for them. Saeko-san is a good older sister.

 

Hinata finds Kageyama in the backyard, the August heat lingering even now that it’s past midnight. Hinata leaves his empty cup on the counter inside as he shuts the sliding door behind him and crunches gravel under his bare feet, walking carefully to the bench where Kageyama is sitting, his cup forgotten on the ground beside him as he stares at the clear, starry sky.

 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Hinata asks. “Seeing the stars.”

 

Kageyama looks over and nods. He doesn’t seem surprised to see Hinata, but he’s perked up a little, and Hinata thinks that maybe he’s…glad?

 

“Kenma says you can’t see them very well in Tokyo,” Hinata says as he settles beside Kageyama, sitting cross-legged and sideways on the bench so that he can put all his attention on the person beside him. He’s not interested in the garden around them or even the stars, after all.

 

Kageyama shifts and rests his arm against the back of the bench, his posture again moving according to Hinata’s presence. He wonders when Kageyama started actively making space for him in his life, and then he shrugs the thought off as just a drunken delusion. Kageyama must be annoyed to have to adjust himself for the sake of Hinata; he’s probably scowling right now, ready to tell Hinata off for interrupting.

 

Except.

 

Hinata meets Kageyama’s gaze full-force, and Kageyama isn’t frowning. He’s not making much expression at all, really, his eyes wide and a little clearer now than they were earlier in Tanaka’s room. He’s looking at Hinata, just looking, and Hinata shifts an inch closer on the bench towards him, and Kageyama blinks acquiescence, but—acquiescence to what, Hinata isn’t quite sure.

 

It might have happened like this, Hinata will think a few months later, when he’s drunk again but this time with his Tokyo friends, and they’re all talking about Kageyama who isn’t there but Hinata’s heart is leaping anyway with the mention of his name. It might have happened like this, Hinata will think on the day that he graduates, when Kageyama stands next to him and grabs his wrist before they leave Karasuno for the last time, his eyes drilling into Hinata’s like he wants to say something, but then he doesn’t, and they both head home. It might have happened like this, Hinata will think later, years later, when he’s lying awake in the arms of a man he doesn’t love, his life falling apart as his unhappiness mounts until he stops feeling anything at all, when he’s scared of getting yelled at all the time and he thinks maybe he’s going crazy.

 

It might have happened like this:

 

Hinata quirks a smile at Kageyama’s neutral gaze, his whole body relaxed in the presence of his partner, his best friend, both of their heads light and cottoned with vodka and the residual contentedness of a night well spent. Kageyama looks back and swallows like he’s trying to hold himself back, his left hand twitching in his lap as his right hand clutches the back of the bench, his lips parting soft under Hinata’s hazed-out stare.

 

Hinata tugs his bottom lip between his teeth and blinks, his skin electric and his lungs tingling with every inhale. His breath is coming short, and going shorter as Kageyama’s eyes turn focused, intent, tension gathering in his shoulders as he pushes himself upright, leaning towards Hinata with a confidence that has Hinata trembling. His abdominal muscles are clenching, and heat is tumbling thick and sweet through his veins as Kageyama leans in closer, and then Hinata is moving a leg out of his cross-legged pose to swing it across Kageyama’s lap as Kageyama’s hands grip Hinata’s waist, all the grace of a setter’s fingers resting heavy and hot against him as Kageyama shifts Hinata’s body the way he tosses a volleyball, no hesitation as he tugs Hinata in against him until their hips are flush together.

 

Hinata stutters out a breath and lets his arms rest around Kageyama’s shoulders, and then one hand is leaving Hinata’s hips to grip at his wrist, to press Hinata’s hand against Kageyama’s pale cheek, and Hinata is tipping forward to press his forehead in against Kageyama’s and they’re breathing together, the air they exhale tangling between them until they suck in the next breath, every movement a joint action as if they are one and the same, no separateness to them at all.

 

“Kageyama,” Hinata says, desire flooding him so quick he feels faint and dizzy. “Tobio,” he says, the syllables sweet on his tongue, and Kageyama is gasping _Shouyou_ and leaning forward finally, their lips connecting in a clumsy kiss made sweet on sentiment and the end to anticipation, because they’ve been waiting for this, Hinata thinks as Kageyama kisses him. They’ve been waiting for this all along.

 

It might have happened like this.

 

But it doesn’t.

 

Hinata stares at Kageyama for a few long seconds before he sighs and turns away, because Kageyama is staring but he isn’t reacting, and the alcohol is catching up to him now and Hinata’s dizziness feels less pleasurable and more sickening than it had even ten seconds prior.

 

“You okay?” Kageyama asks as Hinata leans back and rests his head against the bench, feet flat on the earth and stomach turning over in a little nauseating flop.

 

“Yeah,” Hinata says, focusing on breathing, and Kageyama stands up and then tugs Hinata to his feet.

 

“Come on, you should drink some water,” he says, as if he knows any more about being too drunk than Hinata does, and then he’s pulling them inside and grumbling about how Hinata’s a dumbass, and Hinata finds himself smiling despite the slight nausea he’s feeling as Kageyama hands him a glass of water and a convenience store hangover-reducing drink.

 

“Where’d you get this?”

 

“Saeko-san got them for all of us, dumbass,” Kageyama says. “But don’t chug it. Nishinoya said if you do that, you’ll puke.”

 

“When did he say that?” Hinata asks as he sips at the thick, citrusy drink.

 

“Weren’t you listening? It was before we even started drinking!”

 

“I wasn’t paying attention! Tanaka and I were making fun of him because he acts like he actually knows anything about this!”

 

“Dumbass, he’s been drunk more times than us!”

 

Hinata giggles. “Yeah, we’ve been drunk once and he’s been drunk, what, three times? Four? _Maybe?_ ”

 

Kageyama rolls his eyes, but he looks relaxed, content to stand in Tanaka’s kitchen with a too-drunk Hinata and make fun of Noya-sempai because he deserves it. Hinata says as much, and Kageyama smacks his shoulder.

 

“You should probably go to sleep,” Kageyama says as Hinata finishes up the citrus drink. Kageyama is drinking one too, and Hinata grins at him.

 

“Why?”

 

“You’re drunk.”

 

“You’ve been drinking as much as me!”

 

“Yeah, and I weigh like 25 more kilos than you,” Kageyama says. And then, “Go to sleep, Shouyou,” he says, softer, and Hinata looks up at him and nods, capping his water bottle and turning towards the stairs to head to the futon waiting for him in Tanaka’s guest bedroom.

 

“You’re coming up soon, though, right?” Hinata asks as he walks away, turning back to Kageyama one last time. He can feel a little spark of electricity between them still, as if the lights are turned off but the power is still humming, the wires alight with current that has nowhere to go, and Hinata thinks of the moment in the garden and how it could have gone, and he smiles even though there’s disappointment ringing through his chest.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be there soon,” Kageyama promises. “Lie down. I’m not helping you if you puke.”

 

Hinata swallows. “God, I hope I don’t,” he says, and Kageyama nods.

 

“Lie down. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

 

Hinata climbs the stairs, and lies down on the futon, and falls asleep thinking of a garden glowing with the light of the Sendai stars and the pale radiance of Kageyama’s skin. But if he dreams of anything, he doesn’t remember it in the morning.


End file.
